Just Enough Spanish - Unidad 1 Sustantivos

8/10/2019 Just Enough Spanish - Unidad 1 Sustantivos

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PART ONE: FORM OF SPANISH NOUNS

1.1 What Is a Noun? 2 1.2 Number of Spanish Nouns 2

1.3 Gender of Spanish Nouns 4

1.4 Spanish Noun Endings 7

1.5 Spanish Nouns and Articles 9

PART TWO: USES OF SPANISH NOUNS 1.6 Nouns as Subjects 17

1.7 Nouns Showing Possession 21

1.8 When Verbs Expand to Include Objects: Direct Objects 23

1.9 Another Type of Object: Objects of Prepositions 27

1.10 Details About Chapter Sequence 29

1.11 Overview of Spanish Nouns 30

1.12 Spanish Noun Practice 32

Adjectives Prepositions Conjunctions InterjectionsPronouns Verbs AdverbsNouns

CHAPTER 1

NOUNS

Copyright 2008 by Gabriele Stobbe. Click here for terms of use.


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! Hint: Rules for capitalization of Spanish nouns are not alwaysthe same as those for English nouns. Watch out for this as you

progress.

PART ONE: FORM OF SPANISH NOUNSWhat Information Do Nouns Give?

1.1 What Is a Noun?

A noun is one of the most important words you use whenspeaking and writing. A noun tells whom or what you aretalking about.

A noun is a word used to name a person,place, thing, or idea.

1.2 Number of Spanish Nouns

Nouns carry information about number. When a noun refers toone person or thing, it is singular in number. When it refers to

more than one of the same type of thing, it is plural in number.

Maria Maria

seora Miller Mrs. Miller

el niothe boy

la pelotathe ball

la piscinathe pool

el sombrerothe hat

la escuelathe school

Singular Plural

One More Than One


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The number of a noun is indicated by its ending.The nal letters of a noun determine

how its plural is formed.

The following examples illustrate how to change from thesingular form of a noun to its plural form.

The plural of most Spanish nouns is formed by adding -s whenthe noun ends in a vowel: a , e , i , o , or u .

Nouns ending in the consonants l , r , or n form their pluralsby adding -es .

Nouns ending in the consonant s remain the same in the plural.

Nouns ending in the consonant z form the plural by changing zto c and adding -es .

Throughout this book we use the term building block toillustrate basic concepts of the Spanish language. When you usea noun as a building block, you must rst determine if it is asingular or a plural noun. As you progress, you will learn howto add words to the noun to form sentences. It is your basic

building block. The form of the words you add to the noundepends on the information the noun gives you.

la pelot a las pelot as

the ball the balls

el paraso l los parasol es

the umbrella the umbrellas

el salvavida s los salvavida s

the life preserver the life preservers

el lpi z los lpi ces

the pencil the pencils

Singular Plural


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Here are two examples of nouns that have been extended byadding a verb to show what kind of verb follows the noun.

In the rst example, a singular noun is connected to a singularverb form in order to say the beach umbrella is . In the secondexample, we added a plural verb form to say the beach umbrellasare .

Examples:

It is not always easy for beginners to recognize or use pluralnoun forms. But as the examples above show, stringing wordstogether to make a sentence requires you to apply the concept

of number to the words you are using. This is the rst steptoward forming a grammatically correct sentence.

1.3 Gender of Spanish Nouns

The second step toward forming a correct sentence isrecognizing the gender of nouns. When you talk about a boy, youare referring to a person who is male; boy is a masculine noun.Likewise, when you talk about a girl, you are talking abouta person who is female; girl is a feminine noun. In English,the gender of many nouns is based on their biological nature.

Other nouns, like hat, chair, and bookpictured here, show no clear gender. Nounswith no clear gender are thought of as beingneuter, neither masculine nor feminine. In

grammar, the distinction between masculine,feminine, and neuter nouns is called gender.

Here is an illustration of Ben and Susan. Ben is an example of amasculine noun, while Susan is an example of a feminine noun.

Singular Verb FormSingular Noun

parasol es

Plural Verb FormPlural Noun

parasoles son

Ben

Masculine

Susan

Feminine

Male

Masculine

Female

Feminine


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Throughout this book, the male symbol indicates that the nounis masculine. The female symbol is used for nouns that arefeminine.

Nouns carry information about gender.

In general, English nouns fall into one of three categories:masculine, feminine, or neuter. However, the Spanish languagedivides nouns into only two groups: masculine nouns andfeminine nouns. The following chart contrasts the genderof English nouns and the gender of Spanish nouns.

In Spanish, nouns that name inanimate objects are eithermasculine or feminine, just like nouns for people.

In the chart above, we use the symbols for male and femaleto indicate the gender of a noun for people in both English andSpanish. Note that in Spanish, the symbols are used forinanimate objects as well.

ball

hat womanman

NeuterNouns

FeminineNouns

MasculineNouns

FeminineNouns

MasculineNouns

girlboy

pelotasombrero

IT

mujerhombre

chicachico

English Nouns Spanish Nouns


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! Hint: Be prepared for some memorization. You must learn eachnoun as either masculine or feminine. There are no shortcuts!

All Spanish nouns are either masculine or femininein gender, whether they are persons or things.

Lets take a closer look at the concept of number again.The following chart shows plural forms of nouns togetherwith the gender symbols.

Feminine Plural NounsMasculine Plural Nouns

las pelotas las cremaslos sombreroslos silbatos

las mujereslos hombres

MasculineNoun

MasculineNoun

FeminineNoun

FeminineNoun

el sombrero el silbato la crema la pelota

the men the boys

the hatsthe whistles the balls the lotions

the girlsthe women

las chicaslos chicos

Plural Spanish Nouns

Masculine Feminine

Symbols for Inanimate Objects


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Most Masculine Nouns End in -o

Most Feminine Nouns End in -a

el amig ofriend (male)

el libr obook

el ni oyoung boy

el chic oboy

el hij o son

la amig afriend (female)

la escuel a school

la ni ayoung girl

la hij adaughter

la man ohand

la radi o radio

la fot ophotograph

el d aday

el clim aclimate

el idiom alanguage

Exceptions: Masculine Nouns That End in -a

Exceptions: Feminine Nouns That End in -o

S m i t h F a m i l y - S u m m e r , 20

06

Feminine NounsThat End in -d

la nacionalida dnationality

Feminine NounsThat End in -in

la lecc inlesson

Exceptions:

(male)


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Other nouns can be either masculine or feminine. In suchcases, the word that shows whether the noun is being used asa masculine or a feminine noun is called the article. Articles willbe covered in the next section. For now, know that el (the ) placed

before a noun indicates a masculine word and la (the ) indicatesa feminine word.

1.5 Spanish Nouns and Articles

Spanish nouns are accompanied by other words called articles,which are placed before the noun; articles add details about thenoun that follows. Another grammar term to learn with articlesis the verb to modify. Modifying a noun means giving moreinformation about the noun or qualifying it.

An article is placed before a noun and signalsthat a noun follows. It gives information about the

number and gender of the noun it modies.

There are two basic groups of articles. One group, the indenitearticles, indicates that the noun refers to any member of agroup, or to a person or thing in general. The second group,the denite articles, indicates that the noun refers to a specicor particular person or thing.

Overview of Article ChartsThe following charts show the correct use of articles.

Spanish Denite Articles: PeopleSpanish Indenite Articles: SymbolsSpanish Denite Articles: People and ThingsSpanish Indenite Articles: Symbols and Things

! Hint: Learn each nouns gender individually your effortswill pay off!

el estudiante (male student)

el joven (young man)

el artista (male artist)

la estudiante (female student)

la joven (young woman)

la artista (female artist)


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chicasgirlsthe

lasThe definite article las adds

details about the nounchicas . Use this article with

a feminine plural noun.

lathe

chicagirl

The definite article la addsdetails about the noun

chica . Use this article witha feminine singular noun.

Definite Article

chicoboy

chicosboys

theel

the

los

Noun Grammar Details

Spanish Definite Articles: People

The definite article el addsdetails about the noun

chico . Use this article witha masculine singular noun.

The definite article los addsdetails about the noun

chicos . Use this article witha masculine plural noun.


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Indefinite Article

unaa

some

some

chicagirl

chicoboy

chicasgirls

chicosboys

a

un

unas

unos

Noun Grammar Details

Spanish Indefinite Articles: Symbols

The indefinite article unaadds details about the

noun chica . Use this articlewith a feminine singular

noun. Una chica can alsobe translated as one girl.

The indefinite article unadds details about the

noun chico . Use this articlewith a masculine singularnoun. Un chico can also

be translated as one boy.

The indefinite article unasadds details about the

noun chicas . Use this articlewith a feminine plural

noun. Unas chicas canalso be translated as

a few girls.

The indefinite article unosadds details about the

noun chicos . Use this articlewith a masculine pluralnoun. Unos chicos can

also be translated asa few boys.

The gender symbols represent the information expressedby the article.


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MasculineNouns

People Things

People Things

Spanish Definite Articles: People and Things

FeminineNouns

la chicathe girl

las chicasthe girls

el chicothe boy

los chicosthe boys

el sombrerothe hat

los sombrerosthe hats

la pelotathe ball

las pelotasthe balls

In this chart, people and things are combined. The articles forinanimate objects follow the same pattern of number and genderas the articles for people.


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MasculineNouns

People Things

People Things

Spanish Indefinite Articles: Symbols and Things

Feminine

Nouns

una chicaa girl

one girl

unas chicas some girlsa few girls

un chicoa boy

one boy

unos chicos some boysa few boys

un sombreroa hat

one hat

unos sombreros some hatsa few hats

una pelotaa ball

one ball

unas pelotas some ballsa few balls


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Verb(Singular)

MasculineNoun

(Singular)

El parasol es grande.

Adjective(Singular)

Masculine Article

(Singular)

Verb(Plural)

Adjective(Plural)

MasculineNoun

(Plural)

Masculine Article

(Plural)

Los parasoles son grandes.

The beach umbrella is big.The beach umbrellas are big.

Start withthe noun.

Start withthe noun.

Book belongs to teacher.

Example:

! Hint: For a beginner, recognizing the differences between singular and plural nouns is not always easy. There are manyrules to observe. Be patient! Keep practicing, and this skillwill come naturally.

! Hint: Looking at simple sentences will greatly enhance your

comprehension as you learn basic structures.

A Spanish article must match the noun it modiesboth in gender and in number.

Use the article to identify the gender of a noun.

You must rst determine whether a noun is masculine orfeminine. Next, determine whether it is singular or plural.Remember, it is a matching game!

Here is a short English sentence to show you how widely usedarticles are.

You could improve the correctness of this sentence by adding themissing articles: The book belongs to the teacher.

The form of a Spanish noun, based on number andgender, determines many other parts in a sentence.

Lets review two previous examples from this chapter andadd missing articles, verbs, and adjectives to build a sentence.Use the arrow over the noun as your starting point.


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! Hint: Recognize the value of learning to make matches early on.The process of matching the components of a sentence in genderand number starts with nouns.

In the rst example, the denite article el provides detailsabout the noun parasol . Since el is singular and masculine,like the noun it modies, you can predict that the adjectivegrande will be singular and masculine as well. You can also

predict that the verb that relates to el parasol es willbe singular.

Like el , the denite article los provides details about the nounit modies. If you know that los is plural and masculine, youcan predict that grandes , the adjective that follows, will alsobe plural and masculine. You will also know that theverb son will be plural.

The following examples will help you to analyze the article lastep-by-step.

In the rst example, the denite article la provides detailsabout the noun chica . If you analyze la for gender and number,you nd that it is feminine and singular. It matches chica ,the noun it modies.

This pattern of matching gender and number can be repeatedwith the adjective and the verb. If you look at the adjective andthe verb in each of the sentences above, you nd the wordsingular or plural below each one.

Verb(Singular)

FeminineNoun

(Singular)

La chica es american a .

Feminine Adjective(Singular)

Feminine Article

(Singular)Verb

(Plural) Feminine Adjective

(Plural)

FeminineNoun

(Plural)

Feminine Article(Plural)

Las chicas son american as .

The girl is American. The girls are American.

Start withthe noun.

Start with

the noun.


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el hombre the man

el : masculine singular article + hombre : masculine singular noun

los hombres the men

los : masculine plural article + hombres : masculine plural noun

la mujer the woman

la : feminine singular article + mujer : feminine singular noun

las mujeres the women

las : feminine plural article + mujeres : feminine plural noun

Americana is a feminine adjective in singular form. Americanas is a feminine adjective in plural form. Can youpredict the form of the verb? The verbs are also marked assingular or plural: The verb es is a singular verb; the verb

son is a plural verb. All of the components together form a sentence in whicheverything matches.

Articles express gender and number through theirform. They are placed before a noun. The noun thatfollows matches the article in gender and number.

Lets summarize the use of denite articles:

! Hint: Always use a reliable reference source when you are not sure if a noun is masculine or feminine.


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The pool is open. I love the pool .

Subject Noun Object Noun

Dictionaries and language textbooks indicate the gender ofeach Spanish noun, generally using m. for masculine and f. forfeminine nouns. The use of the article with a noun to indicategender is also common, for example, el sombrero or la

hamburguesa .We have presented articles and nouns together because articles

provide so much information about nouns. However, articlescan also be classied as adjectives. You will learn more aboutarticles in Chapter 2, Adjectives.

PART TWO: USES OF SPANISH NOUNSWhat Jobs Can Nouns Do?

1.6 Nouns as Subjects

Part Two takes a closer look at the jobs nouns can do. We buildon what has been learned in Part One and use nouns togetherwith other words to make sentences. You have learned to

recognize the importance of gender and number of nouns.Use these skills when building sentences.

Nouns can perform many different jobs.By connecting nouns to other words,

you are giving nouns a job to do.

Consider the following English examples to make sure thatyou have a good understanding of subjects and objects. Spanishexamples will follow later in the chapter, once you have a strongfoundation in these concepts.

Pool in both sentences is a noun. However, once a noun isplaced within a sentence, different grammar terms differentiatebetween the various jobs nouns can do. In the sentence The poolis open, pool is used as a subject. In the second example, I love

the pool, the noun pool is used as an object.


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When you put a sentence together that is grammaticallycorrect, you have given each part the right job to do.

The most important job nouns can do in a sentence is to actas a subject.

A sentence must have both a subject and a verb,and it must express a complete thought.

Look at the following examples.

Beginners start by forming basic sentences that contain asubject and a verb. Names for people are nouns, too, and theyare often the subject in a sentence. In both of the examplesabove, the persons name represents the subject. The verb formnada connects to the singular subject Maria , and the verb formnadan to the plural subject, Ben y Jake .

The subject of a sentence names the person(s) orthing(s) about which a statement is being made.

Subject + Verb = Sentence

Subject Verb

Maria

Maria swims.

nada.

Subject + Verb = Sentence

Subject Verb

Ben and Jake swim.

nadan.Ben y Jake


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! Hint: Identify the number and gender of the subject noun before you place nouns in a sentence. Develop good habits: They help you avoid mistakes!

Each subject represents a building block. It connects to the verbin order to form a basic sentence. In both examples on theprevious page, the subjects are people. In the following example,the subject is an inanimate object. Remember: Subjects can be

either persons or things.

In this example, los zapatos (the shoes ) is the subject of thesentence.

In all of these examples, the subject and the verb are the twomain components that form the basic sentence.

A noun often does not stand alone with just a verb. A nouncan be part of a group of words, with a main noun always atthe heart of the group. Consider this group as a building block.Learn how to recognize the main noun in a group of words.

Here are some examples. We have placed a heart abovethe main Spanish noun. Look at the English equivalents for theSpanish groups of words. Some of them also consist of more thanone word.

As the examples show, the nouns gafas , traje , and crema arethe main nouns within each group. Each group of words servesas the subject. The article las indicates a feminine plural noun,el a masculine singular noun, and la a feminine singular noun.

Los zapatos son grandes.

VerbSubject of the sentence The shoes are big.

goggles bathing suit suntan lotion

las gafas de piscina el traje de bao la crema de solBuilding Block Building Block Building Block


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In the sentence Jake es americano , Jake performs the action.

Jake , a singular noun, is the subject of the sentence. When justone noun is used as the subject, it is called a simple subject.

In the second example, los zapatos (the shoes ) is also a simplesubject. This time, the one noun used as the simple subject isa plural noun.

A sentence has a simple subject if there is only

one noun used as a subject, whether that subjectis represented by a singular noun or a plural noun.

A sentence may have two or more nouns used as subjects.In the examples below, the following four nouns are all usedas subjects: Ben , Jake , las pelotas , and el sombrero .

However, when two or more nouns used as subjects are joinedby y (and ), they form a compound subject. In the rst example,two names Ben and Jake combine to form a compoundsubject. In the second example, a singular noun and a pluralnoun used as subjects las pelotas and el sombrero

combine to form a compound subject. The term compound subjectindicates that there is more than one noun used as a subject.

Jake is American.

Simple Subject

Jake es americano.

Compound Subject

Ben y Jake nadan. Las pelotas y el sombrero

estn encima del armario.

The shoes are big.

Simple Subject

Los zapatos son grandes.

Ben and Jake swim. The balls and the hat are on top of the locker.

Compound Subject


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! Hint: A sentence can have a simple subject or a compound subject.

A sentence has a compound subject if there aretwo or more nouns used as subjects.

1.7 Nouns Showing Possession

Nouns can show possessionrelationship or ownership. Thisis an important concept, because a noun showing ownershipor relationship often begins a sentence. In English, a noun withan apostrophe establishes a relationship between two nouns,such as between sister and friend in the rst example below,and between Susan and bathing suit in the second.

The following two examples show a different way that a nouncan show possession in English. In this long English version,there is no apostrophe and the owner is introduced by the wordof. My sisters friend becomes the friend of my sister, andSusans bathing suit becomes the bathing suit of Susan.

The Spanish language does not use an apostropheto show possession.

The long English version can be used as a pattern when formingSpanish nouns showing possession.

My sistersf riend

is Me xican.

Susansbathing suit

is red.

The friend of my sister is Mexican.

The bathing suitof Susan is red.

Short English Version

my sisters friendSusans bathing suit

Long English Version

the friend of my sister the bathing suit of Susan

=

=

Short English Version:

Long English Version:


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Noun

(Plural)

Verb

(Plural)

Adjective

(Plural)

Los padresde Anna so n

amable s.

The parents of Anna are kind.

Los padres de Anna son amables.

The apostrophe is no longer needed, but the concept of ownershipor relationship remains.

Two basic components are necessary

when expressing possessionsomething thatis being owned and an owner.

The possession itselfthe person, place, or thingthat is ownedis placed before de and the owner.

In the following example, the noun showing possessionexpresses a relationship. It also serves as the subject of thesentence.

Nouns Showing Possession

Long English Version Spanish

of

of

the towel of Maria

the flippers of the boys

de

de

la toalla de Maria

las aletas de buceode los chicos

What IsBeing Owned Owner

What IsBeing Owned Owner


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A noun showing possessioncan serve as a subject when forming sentences.

When expressing relationships, pay attention to each nounbefore the de . In the example Los padres de Anna , the nounlos padres is placed before de Anna . It is therefore the nounlos padres that connects to the verb. Los padres is a pluralnoun and requires the plural verb form son . The adjectiveamables is also plural in form.

For now, we are showing you how to combine adjectives withnouns and what kinds of verbs are combined with nouns.Soon you will be making such choices yourself.

1.8 When Verbs Expand to Include Objects:Direct Objects

Lets turn our attention to another important concept: objects.Objects, like subjects, are nouns, but they have a different jobto do in a sentence. Here is an example of a noun as subject:

Contrast the example above with the example below that usesthe same noun, pool.

! Hint: You might be surprised to realize how much you havealready learned by starting your awareness earlyit is a greatway to sharpen basic skills!

The pool opens .

Subject Noun Verb

Ben loves the pool .

SubjectNoun ObjectNounVerbperforming receiving


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The basic unit of a sentence contains a subject and a verb.So far, our subjects are nouns. In the rst example, the pool isthe subject. The subject tells you what the sentence is all about,or who carries out the action.

In the second example, the pool is no longer the subject. Whocarries out the action? Ben carries out the action, so the newsubject is Ben. The sentence could end after the verb. However,it was expanded to include the noun pool : Ben loves the pool.The pool now receives the action of the verb loves.

When you are able to distinguish between a noun usedas a subject and a noun used as an object, you recognize therelationships of nouns to other parts of the sentence.

The job each noun has to do is determinedby the use of that noun in the sentence.

In grammar, this is called context.

In this section, we are using nouns as direct objects.

The direct object is a word or group of wordsthat directly receives the action expressed by the verb.

In grammar, the person or thing performing the action of theverb is called the subject. The person or thing receiving theaction is called the direct object.

Think about what is needed to make this happen. Put the verbat center stage, because it is the verb that expresses the actionthat takes place. Only certain verbs allow you to add an object;they are action verbs. Not all verbs have the ability to includean object.

Use the graphic illustrations to guide you as you learn aboutnouns used as objects: The heart represents the verb to love(amar ) and the hamburger represents the verb to eat (comer ).

Verbs will be explained in detail in Chapter 4, but for this

section, we selected the following two verbs: to love and to eat.Both verbs are now illustrated in examples with direct objects.

Verb Subject Direct Object

to love to eat


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Hint: Remember that personal a indicates a person to help you apply this rule correctly.

Notice the difference?

What is the reason to state two different categories for objects?The use of objects in the Spanish language requires you tomake a distinction between people and inanimate objects,or things. For that reason, we selected the verb to eat and theverb to love. Both verbs can take direct objects. The verb to eat

relates to things. What you eat is the direct object. The verb tolove relates mainly to people. Whom you love is the direct object.

The personal a is placed before a noun used asa direct object if the object is a person or persons.

The word a cannot be translated.

Direct Objects

People

InanimateObjects

Jake come una hamburguesa .

Verb

Jake eats a hamburger.

eats

Anna ama a su mam .

Subject DirectObject

Subject Direct

Object

Verbperforming receiving

performing receiving

Anna loves her mom.

The a placedbefore su mam

identifies thedirect object

mam asa person.

In grammar,this is called

the personal a.

In the sentenceJake come unahamburguesa ,hamburguesa

is the directobject. It doesnot need the

personal a .Hamburgers

are not people.

!


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Mis amigos comen perros calientes .

Actor Performing Receiving the Action of Verb

My friends eat hot dogs.

eat

Verb

Subject and Verb form a Unit.

Direct Object Subject

Direct Object Subject

Mis amigos aman a Maria .

Actor Performing Receiving the Action of Verb

My friends love Maria.

Verb

Subject and Verb form a Unit.

The examples that follow give more details about subjects andobjects.

In the example above, two nouns are used. The job of the rstnoun, mis amigos , is to be the subject. Each subject must befollowed by a verb. Mis amigos carries out the action of the verbto eat. Mis amigos is a plural noun, so the verb is comen .The sentence could end here, but it is extended to include adirect object. The second noun, perros calientes , is the directobject. Since it is an inanimate object, no personal a is needed.

In this example, the plural noun mis amigos is still the subject.This time the verb to love is used. The verb is extended toinclude a direct objecta receiver. The receiving person isMaria . When talking about a person you love, you need to usethe personal a in order to indicate that the object is a person.The direct object is Maria , placed after the a .

a Maria


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Examples of Spanish Prepositions

a

to, into

alrededor de

around on top of

encima de

The use of pronouns, covered in detail in Chapter 3, willrequire you to know the type of nouns you are going to replace.Recognizing forms of nouns is therefore essential. With thisknowledge in place, for example, you will nd using object

pronouns a lot easier. You will simply transfer the sameconcepts of gender and number of nouns to pronouns.

You have learned about nouns being used as subjects and directobjects. Let us now introduce nouns as objects of prepositions.

1.9 Another Type of Object: Objects of Prepositions

There are two types of objects: direct objects and objects ofprepositions. Direct objects receive the action of the verb

directly. The other object works together with a preposition.

As the term object of a preposition indicates, a prepositioncombines with a noun used as an object; together they form a

prepositional phrase. A phrase is made up of several words thatare grouped together. In this book, phrases are considered tobe building blocks.

A noun used after a preposition is calledthe object of a preposition.

Look at the words below; they are prepositions. We will coverthis part of speech in more detail in Chapter 6. These examplesserve only as a short introduction.

If some of these concepts are beginning tomake sense, you have made excellent progress.This chapter is not an easy one! Your progressindicates that you are building a solidfoundation in Spanish.


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Ben stands under the lifeguard chair .

Object of Preposition(Noun)

PrepositionVerbSubject(Noun)

Prepositional Phrase

We also use the term building block for a prepositional phrase.Remember that building blocks need to be combined with othersentence parts in order to form a complete sentence.

In the English example above, the phrase under the lifeguard

chair does not make sense standing alone. It must relate toanother part of the sentence. In this case, the phrase relatesto Ben.

As in English, nouns in Spanish are also used as objectsof a preposition. However, two Spanish prepositions becomepart of a contraction when they are followed by a masculinesingular noun. This has no parallel in English.

The following Spanish examples use a yellow contrast squareto highlight these two contractions. Look at these examplescarefully so you can recognize these contractions whenyou see them.

Objects of Prepositions

PrepositionPrepositional

Phrase

Noun as Object

of a Preposition

aroundalrededor de

the lifeguard chair around the lifeguard chair

la sillade Susan

alrededor dela silla de Susan

+ =

+ =

on top of encima de

the locker on top of the locker el armario encima del armario+ =


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Spanish prepositions require you to carefully examine the nounthat is used after the preposition. In Chapter 6, Prepositions,you will learn more about contractions in prepositional phrases.For now, these examples serve as an introduction, with moredetails to follow.

1.10 Details About Chapter Sequence

Because it is benecial for the beginning language learner totake the lessons learned in one chapter and use them in thenext, the chapter that follows is about adjectives. Throughoutthis chapter, many examples were illustrated using both nounsand adjectives so that you could see how closely they are linked.This gives you a head start on Chapter 2!

In addition, adjectives add words to the noun. When you use anadjective, you are often expanding the meaning of the subject.Because the subject is the heart of the sentence, it is veryimportant to know how to identify and use it correctly. Whenyou learn more about adjectives, you will strengthen theseskills.

You are now ready to begin Chapter 2, Adjectives.

Objects of Prepositions

PrepositionPrepositional

PhraseNoun as Object of a Preposition

+ =

into

athe locker room into the locker room

el vestuario al vestuario+ =

Whoor What?

How theNoun or

Pronoun Looks

Nouns Adjectives


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el chico

un chico

los chico s

unos chico s

la chica

una chica

las chica s

unas chica s

1.11 Overview of Spanish Nouns

Match Gender and Number ...

Nouns That Name People


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el sombrero

un sombrero

los sombrero s

unos sombrero s

la pelota

una pelota

las pelota s

unas pelota s

Nouns That Name Inanimate Objects

... of Nouns and Articles


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Practice One: Gender of Spanish Nouns

Practice Two: Number of Spanish Nouns

Write the total number of masculine nounsand the total number of feminine nouns inthe appropriate box at the right.

Write the total number of singular nounsand the total number of plural nouns

(regardless of gender) in the appropriatebox at the right.

SpanishNouns

SpanishNouns

1.12 Spanish Noun Practice

Refer to the Spanish vocabulary words in the Introductionif you need help.

or or

or or

Documents

Just Enough Spanish - Unidad 1 Sustantivos